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Why 90% of Intentional Communities fail to develop, and what the elements are in the 10% that are successful.

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Presentation Transcript

Creating a Life Together:

Creating a Life Together Chapter One

Overview – 1st Six Chapters:

Overview – 1 st Six Chapters 1. The Successful 10%, and Why 90% Fail 2. Your Role as Founder 3. Getting off to a Good Start 4. Community Vision - What It is & Why You Need It 5. Creating Vision Documents 6. Power, Decision-making, and Governance

The Successful 10% and Why 90% Fail:

The Successful 10% and Why 90% Fail Examples: One of success, One of failure Structural Conflict & Six Ways to Avoid It What Will it Cost? How Long Will it Take? How Many People do you Need? Comments from More Real-life Examples

A Successful Example:

A Successful Example Started with six people, ended with two The two had a vision of what it could be like Had people skills and business skills Did the research, negotiated prices Had money, borrowed more, and purchased land Joined by five others, and then more

What They Did Right:

What They Did Right Established a core group – two people! Took the time to develop a common vision Chose an appropriate legal structure Found suitable property Obtained the necessary finances Renovated and developed the property

An Unsuccessful Example:

An Unsuccessful Example One person bought land Got zoning approval Met regularly with friends & supporters Money issues, land development issues, interpersonal issues 18 months of meetings, two groups, no result

What the Founder did Wrong:

What the Founder did Wrong Did not have sufficient financial information Did not know how much each lot would cost Fostered hope in those who could not afford Did not understand the need for legal documents, and personal financial data Did not disclose that she was the developer

What the Founder did Wrong:

What the Founder did Wrong Did not disclose: she would be reimbursed, and that she makes all development decisions No process for who was in the group, or not No process for who made what decisions Chose the wrong type of decision process – consensus – due to all the above

Structural Conflict: Six Ways to Avoid it:

Structural Conflict: Six Ways to Avoid it Learn good communication and group process skills - make this a priority, including conflict resolution skills In choosing cofounders and new members, select for emotional maturity Learn the head skills & heart skills you need

What Will it Cost?:

What Will it Cost? Create a financial model and plug in the numbers Plan on several hundred thousand dollars to buy land and develop it Plan internal community finances, including any mortgage payments & ongoing expenses

How Long Will it Take?:

How Long Will it Take ? “Even if you meet weekly, you’ll still need people to work on various committees that work and/or meet between scheduled meetings – gathering information, calling officials, crunching the numbers, drafting proposals, and so on – for at least a year, or even two years or longer.”

How Long Will it Take?:

How Long Will it Take ? The smaller your group and the more your assets the less time it will take There is no end point in building or growing a community Select some roadmarks along the way to gain a sense of accomplishment

How Many People do you Need?:

How Many People do you Need ? Varies from 2 – 20, and can change constantly Most projects: Start with one or two people with an idea Grow larger during meetings Shrink when it’s time to purchase land Grow again after purchase, over time

Comments from real-life examples:

Comments from real-life examples “Spiritual communities seem to experience more structural conflict than others, perhaps because the founders tend toward a soft-focus, whole-picture orientation, or ‘right-brained’ thinking which often frustrates and repels those with more systematic approaches.” Solution: seek co-founders of the other type.

Comments from real-life examples:

Comments from real-life examples “Gathering and weaving the thread of skills, information, money, time, people, and experience is complex and often overwhelming – one person called it ‘the longest, most expensive personal-growth workshop you will ever take’.”

Discussion:

Discussion How are we doing in relationship to these examples and principles? What can we do to improve our chances of success? Do we have structural conflict? Have we taken appropriate steps so far?